By Sean McAdam
CSNNE.com Red Sox InsiderFollow @sean_mcadam
NEW YORK -- It's taken a while, but the Red Sox once-comfortable lead for the American League wild card spot has almost completely evaporated.
The Sox lost their fourth straight and ninth in the last 11 games, 6-2 to the New York Yankees, in a sloppy, dispiriting contest.
The loss, coupled with Tampa Bay's win over Toronto, dropped the Red Sox lead in the wild card race to just one-half game.
Boston made two errors and allowed two unearned runs while starter and loser Tim Wakefield added a wild pitch and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia was charged with two passed balls.
The Yanks scored twice in the first on an error and wild pitch, added two more in the third on Jorge Posada's two-run homer and tacked on solo runs in the fifth and sixth.
Wakefield has just one win in his last 10 outings.
Jacoby Ellsbury accounted for both Red Sox runs with two solo homers, giving him 30 homers and 100 RBI for the season.
Boston Red Sox
Otherwise, A.J. Burnett, who entered the game with a 5.28 ERA, allowed just three other hits over 7 23 innings.
Sean McAdam can be reached at smcadam@comcastsportsnet.com. Follow Sean on Twitter at http:twitter.comsean_mcadam